Reclaimed wood among design and construction material trends to keep an eye on in 2018

12-02-2018

According to biologist E.O. Wilson, “creativity is the unique and defining trait of our species,” a compelling and accurate statement when one considers the ever-evolving architecture all around the world, with wood not only making a comeback, but coming into its own with technological improvements that result in mass timber such as cross-laminated timber (CLT).

And with tall timber structures regularly making the news, architects and designers have begun looking to other products also based on wood for reasons that range from aesthetic to environmental.

And according to Architect Magazine, reclaimed and repurposed wood is one of the materials to look out for in 2018. Warm and visually pleasing to the eye, repurposed wood can claim an even smaller ecological footprint as compared to virgin wood – which already boasts a smaller carbon footprint than other materials.

A number of companies are already exploring the option, with Houtmerk, based in the Netherlands, making panels of solid wood called Replex produced from pieces of recycled wood.